Cluff tired of EIDC guff, ankles post

Probe, attorneys' resignations pave way for prexy's exit

The beleaguered prexy of the Entertainment Industry Development Corp. is expected to announce a deal to leave his post this week.

Cluff has been in the spotlight since L.A. County investigators searched the EIDC’s Hollywood offices and Cluff’s two homes for evidence of alleged misuse of $700,000 in public funds. Cluff has been leaning toward departing in recent weeks, asserting that the probe has distracted the EIDC from its central mission to expedite film permits and promote production in Los Angeles.

A key hurdle toward reaching a settlement with Cluff — who has been on vacation since Nov. 25 — was overcome Friday when two of the EIDC’s attorneys resigned during the agency’s executive committee meeting. Attorneys George Newhouse and Tom Brown had argued that Cluff had done nothing wrong, contending that the EIDC is a private agency — an assertion that angered members of the Los Angeles City Council and Board of Supervisors sitting on the panel.

No charges have yet been filed in the investigation, which disclosed lavish spending by Cluff and $200,000 in contributions by Cluff to dozens of local politicians.